Wonderful teams up with NFL stars to kick off its biggest-ever football campaign

September 07, 2017

Wonderful Pistachios, America’s fastest-growing snack brand, is kicking off its biggest football campaign ever during the first week of the National Football League season with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews.

The NFL players will appear in humorous new commercials that will air nationally during a Sept. 10 game, when the conference rivals battle it out for gridiron supremacy during one of the season’s most highly anticipated matchups.

The Put a Smile on Your Snackface ads score with the message that Wonderful Pistachios are the rare healthy snack that also tastes great.

Sherman and Matthews star in separate commercials featuring pistachio lovers who may be unlucky in life, but fortunate to discover the perfect game day snack to put a smile on their snackfaces. They quickly discover that when you feel good about eating tasty, protein-powered Wonderful Pistachios, you can also feel good about yourself.

“Wonderful Pistachios consistently put a smile on my snackface because they’re a healthy snack, and a good source of protein and fiber,” said Sherman, who returns to the Wonderful Pistachios roster for a second consecutive year after appearing in last season’s football and Get Crackin’ ads. “No matter which team you’re rooting for, everyone can agree Wonderful Pistachios taste great, are healthy, and just plain fun to crack open.”

Sherman’s on-field opponent during the Sept. 10 game, when the commercials debut, is Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, the newest member of the Wonderful Pistachios team.

“Football fans can enjoy healthy snacks at their game day gatherings with Wonderful Pistachios, because it’s one of the lowest-fat, lowest-calorie snack nuts, so you don’t feel guilty snacking on them all game long,” said Matthews. “I make Wonderful Pistachios part of my daily training routine because they’re one of the highest-protein and highest-fiber snack nuts.”

The “Put a Smile on Your Snackface” campaign was created by Wonderful Pistachios’ in-house creative team, Wonderful Agency, led by chief creative officer Darren Moran, who recently joined the LA-based shop from Grey New York.

“Wonderful Pistachios has a history of funny, offbeat, celebrity-driven work that both reflects and drives pop culture," said Moran. “We’re continuing that tradition in this irreverent new campaign, using two of football’s biggest stars to help a collection of ‘lovable losers’ feel good about themselves. Even if they’ve been twice-orphaned, ogled by Santa or betrayed by a suspicious mole.”

Wonderful Pistachios’s biggest football campaign ever will air on primetime football games and premium online sports sites all season long. It will also include in-store point-of-sale materials, including life-size standees of Sherman and Matthews, a large-scale digital and social media campaign, as well as public relations.

The football investment is part of a larger $55 million campaign that also includes the brand’s popular Ernie the Elephant, a pistachio-loving, health-conscious, computer-generated spokes-elephant who refuses to work for peanuts and is voiced by WWE Superstar John Cena, and the Wonderful Nut health campaign that appears in New York’s Times Square, print and in-store.

“Our crop is shaping up nicely this season, so we’re doubling down on sports and our commitment to healthy snacking, which helped Wonderful Pistachios become the fastest-growing snack brand in the country,” said Adam Cooper, vice president at Wonderful Pistachios. “Partnering with football’s biggest stars helps us score with sports fans who crave a guilt-free indulgence that’s big on nutrition. The football campaign, combined with our successful Ernie the Elephant Get Crackin’ ads and our Wonderful Nut health ads, will reach ‘snackthusiasts’ with the perfect healthy snack they can feel good about whether they’re watching a game, preparing for or recovering from a workout, or just looking for a fun snack.”